Time Troubles
by demonman21
Summary: Nightmares given to Piper cause the sisters to make a startling discovery. Sequel to "Heavenly Union"
1. Part 1

Time Trouble Part 1  
  
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).  
  
She was running, and could feel the wind on her heels. To her right was her friend, around her were her enemies. She could feel the power of an energy ball behind her, and she instinctively dove behind cover. She looked over and saw her friend doing the same. She stood up and gestured, and one of the demons exploded. She dropped back down as the energy balls began to rain in. She looked over at her friend, who smiled. Suddenly, her friend disappeared, and only ash remained. She was screaming.screaming.  
  
With a frightened scream, Piper sat straight up in bed. She could feel fear sweeping through her body. Her throat was tight, and her body shook in uncontrollable spasms. The fear hounded her, and surrounded her like a skintight suit. Piper couldn't breathe, couldn't think.  
  
Suddenly, arms were around her, and Piper barely fought down another scream. Leo began to rock her, saying, "It's alright. Everything's fine. We're all safe. Calm down."  
  
Slowly, the fear loosened its hold on her, and she could breathe and feel again. Tears began to slide down her face as she felt sadness for the woman she never met. And through it all Leo was there, rocking her back and forth and saying, "Everything is fine. Don't worry."  
  
***  
  
As Phoebe walked down the stairs, she said a cheerful, "Good morning," above the racket outside. She found everyone else already at the table. They all seemed happy, except for Piper, who was staring morosely at her coffee.  
  
"How long do we have to listen to this racket?" Paige shouted.  
  
"Only a couple more days," Phoebe shouted, "Cole is paying double to speed up the expansions on our house."  
  
"Listen, I know the manor is a little crowded, especially with the new babies," Paige commented, "but I really don't like the idea of expanding the house like this. Especially using Cole's money."  
  
"Look, Cole is moving in here, and he's right." Phoebe defended. "The manor needs more space if we're going to have two more babies here. And it's only two more bedrooms, a bathroom, and a few odds and ends. Cole can cover it. He invested well as the Source, and they've grown nicely. Although this will take a chunk out of it."  
  
"Where is Cole anyway?" Paige asked.  
  
"He had to go in early. His firm is about to enter a major lawsuit, and they want Cole as the lead lawyer," Phoebe replied proudly.  
  
"I still think we shouldn't be using Cole's money," Paige said, "What do you think Piper?" When Piper made no reply, she turned and said, "Piper? PIPER!"  
  
"What, huh, yeah." Piper said. The sisters looked closely, and they saw deep circles on Piper's eyes. They both sat down next to her.  
  
"Another nightmare?" Phoebe asked sympathetically.  
  
"Yes," Piper said. "I've had nightmares every night since the wedding. It seems like every time I close my eyes I see horrible things. I don't know what's going on, but we need to find out, because I really need some sleep."  
  
"Have you tried sleeping pills?" Paige asked.  
  
"Two nights ago, and the nightmares still came," Piper said.  
  
"Well, maybe if we knew what you were dreaming, we could help," Phoebe offered.  
  
"That's just it, I'm not really sure. I see battles and death and devastation. Leo, where could these be coming from?" Piper asked.  
  
Leo looked at her, and said, "I don't know, but I think the Elders do."  
  
"What, what do you mean?" Phoebe demanded.  
  
"Well, after the third nightmare, I asked the Elders about it. I was afraid it was some sort of demonic threat. They were remarkably close mouthed about it, which makes me think they know something more." Leo replied.  
  
"Well, that would almost certainly mean it is magical in nature," Paige said, "which means it will be in the Book of Shadows. Come on, let's go look."  
  
"But, it's just nightmares," Piper complained.  
  
Phoebe and Paige looked at each other, and then they each grabbed an arm and dragged Piper upstairs.  
  
***  
  
As she flipped through the Book, Paige asked, "Are you sure you don't have any clues about what you are dreaming? Where is it, when is it, etc?"  
  
"Well, it looked a lot like San Francisco, only a lot more devastated. And as for when, your guess is as good as mine."  
  
"What do you think, Leo?" Phoebe asked. "Are we talking alternate realities, or what?"  
  
Paige looked up, and said, "Beats me." Suddenly, the Book began to turn by itself. Paige smiled, and said, "Works every time." When the Book came to a stop, she read the title, "Time Echoes?"  
  
"What the heck is a Time Echo?" Piper asked.  
  
Paige looked at her, and said, "I don't know. Just a second. 'When any event happens in time, a Temporal wave is sent both backwards and forwards. Now, most of the force is directed forward, which causes the Theory of Multiple Possibilities. However, a much smaller and weaker wave is sent backwards in time. If two people were close enough in brain wavelengths and magic, it is possible for a person in the past to receive the experiences of a person in the future, usually in dreams."  
  
"Wait a second, are you saying I've been getting visions from the FUTURE!" Piper exclaimed. "But Phoebe's the one with the power of premonition. Why isn't she getting the future vision?"  
  
"I don't know, and the Book doesn't say anything about it." Paige replied.  
  
"Does it say how to turn off the nightmares?" Phoebe asked. Paige shook her head, and said, "No, no mention is made of that."  
  
"You mean I'm stuck with these nightmares for God knows how long?" Piper asked. Suddenly, a pair of baby cries could be heard coming from her bedroom. Piper turned to the sisters, and said, "Come on, the babies call."  
  
As the sisters walked into Piper's room, each mother moved to their respective infant and began to feed them. Piper looked up and said, "Paige, I can't accept that I can do nothing about these nightmares. There has to be something."  
  
"Well, we could always go to the future and confront whoever or whatever is sending you back memories. However, I didn't see a spell that would do that."  
  
"There was one, but it was a one time use spell," Phoebe explained. "And we used it already."  
  
"Well, THERE has to be something we can do!" Piper said. Both babies stopped feeding, so Piper and Phoebe put them back in their cribs. Paige happened to be looking down at Gabriel and Melinda as Piper and Phoebe straightened, so only she saw their eyes begin to glow. "Um, guys." she began.  
  
"What is that?" Phoebe exclaimed as she pointed. All three sisters looked at the spot, which appeared to be a small ripple in the air, as if something were there. The sisters cautiously approached, and watched as the air disturbance seemed to get stronger. Suddenly, the sisters felt an intense pull towards the disturbance. They tried to fight it, but within seconds the sisters were inside it.  
  
Leo made a diving grab for them, but he missed them. He turned around, and looked at Melinda and Gabriel. Both had smiles on their faces, and then they went to sleep.  
  
"We have GOT to stop talking around them," Leo muttered.  
  
***  
  
When the sisters could see again, they found themselves in their living room, sort of. While the room's dimensions were the same, everything was torn and ripped apart. Shattered pieces of furniture were throughout the floor, and there were several holes in the wall.  
  
"Um, what happened?" Paige asked.  
  
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say we're where we wanted to be, courtesy of our overly helpful children," Phoebe commented. "By the way, does anyone know HOW we're supposed to get home?"  
  
"I guess they'll bring us home when they're ready," Paige said slowly.  
  
"Great, just great," Piper said, "Well, since we're stuck here, we may as well look around. Come on."  
  
The sisters walked outside the house (which had the doors blown off), took one look around, and said, "My God." Everything around them was destroyed. There were crashed vehicles everywhere, and the majority of the houses were utterly ruined. The San Francisco skyline was smaller, and many of the building looked like they had lost the upper half. No one was moving, and several skeletons could be seen strewn around on the street.  
  
Paige looked around and promptly puked. Piper and Phoebe were equally disgusted, and it was several moments before anyone could speak. "What happened to cause all of this?" Phoebe said in a sickened voice.  
  
"I don't know," Piper replied, "But I don't think we'll learn just standing around here." Off in the distance, the sisters could hear what appeared to be fighting of some kind. Paige looked at her other sisters and asked, "Should we go for it?"  
  
"I don't see that we have any other choice," Phoebe replied gravely, "We need to find out what happened, and only living people can tell us. Let's go."  
  
***  
  
About five minutes later, the sisters found themselves stepping into chaos. There were people fighting everywhere, all of them magical. At least 7 demons were on the field, and they were attacking about 9 witches. Energy balls were flying, as were a variety of projectiles. Right now, the witches seemed to be pinned inside a building.  
  
Phoebe looked at her sisters and asked quietly, "Should we step in and interfere?"  
  
Before either sister could respond, they felt themselves being shoved to the ground as someone whispered sharply, "Get down!"  
  
The sisters turned around, and got a look at the person who had tackled them. The figure was of medium height and appeared to be female, but she wore full body armor (including a riot helmet), so everything else was obscured. The figure stared at them for a moment, and then asked, "What faction are you with? What are your names?"  
  
"I don't know anything about factions, but my name is Phoebe. Phoebe Halliwell. These are my sisters Paige and Piper."  
  
The figure seemed startled, and then said, "I don't believe it. Wait right here, I'm going to end this." The figure touched the side of her helmet, and then said in an amplified voice, "All units attack!" All the witches charged the demons with projectiles and powers flying. Two demons went down before they could even react, but soon the other 5 were opening fire.  
  
"We have to help, or they'll be pulverized." Paige shouted. Indeed, one of the witches was about to be hit in the back with an energy ball. Paige gestured, shouted, "Energy Ball!", and redirected it back to the demon who threw it. Piper also gestured, and one of the demons exploded.  
  
The remaining demons looked around, and then shimmered out. Before the sisters could say anything, the figure approached and said, "Follow me." She then began to walk briskly towards a building nearby. The other witches seemed to form up into a unit and left in another direction.  
  
The figure lead them into the building, and then down some stairs. Only when they were in the basement did she seem to relax. "We made good time, so it will take a few moments for the reinforcements to find us. Now then, what are you doing here, and how did you get here?"  
  
Phoebe opened her mouth, but Piper shushed her, "Before we say anything, I'd like to know who we're talking with. After all, how do we know which side you're on."  
  
The figure stared at them for a few moments, and then said, "Fair enough." She reached up and pulled off her helmet, and Piper found herself staring at.HERSELF. No Piper corrected sharply. They looked very similar, but this woman was more fit, and had more scars. In addition, her hair was a slightly different color, and her eyes were not the same. Which meant.  
  
The woman smiled, and said, "Hi Mom. It's been awhile."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	2. Part 2

Time Troubles 2  
  
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).  
  
The sisters stood in stunned silence for a few moments, and then Piper asked hesitantly "Melinda?"  
  
The woman smiled, and said, "You guessed it Mom. Now then, what are you doing here? HOW did you get here?"  
  
As Phoebe and Paige took turns filling in Melinda, Piper tried to cope with all of this. She knew beyond a doubt that not only was this her daughter, but this was the mysterious being that had been giving her nightmares. Piper had been living her daughter's life. Piper felt tears coming to her eyes as she realized what a vast nightmare her daughter lived.  
  
When Phoebe and Paige finished, Melinda was quiet for a few seconds, and then she said, "Well, that is interesting. However, I'm going to need some more proof. Piper, blow this up." She threw a brick at Piper, who instinctively gestured. The brick exploded, and Melinda smiled. "Alright, so you are who you say you are. Well, welcome to the San Francisco of the future."  
  
"How did things get so bad?" Paige asked. "What happened?"  
  
Melinda looked out for a few moments, and then said, "I don't know. I was too young to remember, and I wasn't there. However, I'll take you to the Commander. He is probably only one of two people that know the story." She then looked up and said, "Grab on, quick. We have to move before the demons get close enough to detect my orbing."  
  
The sisters quickly grabbed onto Melinda's hands, and then they orb out.  
  
*** The sisters find themselves reappearing in some sort of bunker underground. As soon as they materialize, four different witches focus on them with some sort of projectile ready. When they see Melinda, they visibly relax, and Melinda begins to walk. As the sisters fall in behind her, Paige asked, "Where are we?"  
  
"We're in New San Francisco," Melinda explained. "It's one of about two dozen cities that have sprung up since the Fall. We are scattered around the globe, and we are slowly fighting to take back this world from evil."  
  
"What's the Fall?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure. The way I understand it, a demon somehow managed to inspire all the world's leaders to do violence, and caused a massive worldwide riot. Luckily, nuclear weapons weren't used, but when it was over, almost all the world's non-magical population was dead. The rest were hopelessly lost, and soon perished. As for the magical being, we found ourselves in a war with evil. Evil surfaced, and was ten times stronger than ever before. We were vastly outnumbered, and would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for the Commander. He organized us, and kept us alive. Now, he is leading the fight against evil, and we are slowly winning."  
  
As Melinda talked, she was leading the sisters down a series of tunnels. None of the three sisters could have found their way out again, and they figured it was on purpose. After about five minutes, the sisters found themselves at a massive door that was heavily defended. The guards looked at Melinda, and nodded. They then opened the door.  
  
Inside was a large chamber filled with a series of maps and computers. In the center was a circular table that appeared to be some sort of map screen. About 20 people were there, and they all were focused on a man who had their backs to them.  
  
"Xavier, take at least three witches and a whitelighter when you go after this post. Be careful, because our contacts tell us it is heavily defended." One of the men nodded, and walked off past the sisters. Melinda cleared her throat, and said, "Sir, I've brought something you may want to see."  
  
"What is it?" the Commander asked without turning around.  
  
"I found some new magical witches," Melinda replied.  
  
"Really? Are you sure they're not spies?"  
  
"Yes, sir, I am. You see." Melinda began.  
  
"Very well. Take them to Denise for basic training."  
  
"Man, this guy is really rude," Phoebe whispered to Paige. The Commander jumped up in the air, as if very surprised, and appeared shocked. He said almost hesitantly, "No, it can't be." When he turned around, the sisters found themselves frozen in utter shock.  
  
"Phoebe." Cole said in a loving voice.  
  
As the sisters tried to adjust to the new development, Cole turned to Melinda and said, "What? How?"  
  
Melinda began to fill Cole in, while Phoebe stared. She couldn't help it. Cole had aged well, and while his hair was a solid gray, his body was still lean and fit. No, what made Phoebe so shocked was Cole's right arm. It ended at the elbow.  
  
After Melinda was done, Cole sighed, and said, "So, they are from the past, here about some sort of Temporal Echo."  
  
"How do you know about that?" Paige asked.  
  
"Because I've memorized your Book of Shadows." Cole replied absently.  
  
"What! How did you get it?" Piper shouted.  
  
"There wasn't much of a choice at that point," Cole said cryptically.  
  
"Cole, your arm." Phoebe began.  
  
"You want to know how I lost my arm." Cole asked. When Phoebe nodded, he simply said, "I used something I shouldn't have more than once, and it cost me dearly. It's not really important. I think what is really important is finding a way to send you back."  
  
"But we have so many questions, so many things to learn if we are to prevent." Paige began.  
  
"I will tell you nothing," Cole interrupted, "and I am the only one who could help you. If I told you something, I could wind up altering the future, which could be even more catastrophic."  
  
"But, what about." Piper began.  
  
"No," Cole said in a tone that brooked no arguments. "We have to get you back to your own time, and I'm not sure how we can do that."  
  
"What do you mean; won't we be sent back when we've learned what we were supposed to?" Paige asked.  
  
"You're too used to the Elders," Cole replied. "They sent you back from the future because their future selves were warned to send you back when you appeared."  
  
"Well, can't we just ask them to send us back?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"The Elders are." Melinda began, but Cole cut her off. "They are unreachable at this point, and so are most of the other beings that could send you back. I'm sorry, but you may be trapped here."  
  
"Wait, what about Gabriel?" Phoebe asked. "He could easily send us back. He's the one who sent us here in the first place."  
  
Cole and Melinda looked at each other, and then Melinda said in a voice thick with hatred, "That vile traitor abandoned us. He hasn't been seen in years, and I for one am glad he's gone. I hope he's dead."  
  
"What is the date?" Cole asked suddenly. When one of his men told him, Cole sighed. "I know exactly where he is, and how to get to him."  
  
"Well, then let's go to him." Piper said.  
  
"He won't be there for several hours," Cole replied. "Why don't you relax here for a few seconds, so I can convey some final orders? I have things to attend to before I can take you there." He then turned and left.  
  
"Well, who saw that coming? Cole being the leader of Good, it is rather interesting, don't you think?" Paige said.  
  
"Boy, Cole sure does hop around. Leader of Evil, Leader of Good, what's next? Leader of Neutrality," Piper joked.  
  
"So, what exactly did Gabriel do?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"He abandoned us in the middle of a battle. I'm not sure what happened, but that traitor betrayed us, and I hope he rots in hell forever."  
  
"So, Cole's the commander, and you're a warrior. Where's your father? I'm curious how time has affected him." Piper asked.  
  
"Leo is in another colony, and is the chief healer there." Melinda said proudly. "He unfortunately is out of contact range right now, but I'll let him know you were here. It will make him feel happy."  
  
"Where are we in this future?" Paige asked. Melinda was about to respond when Cole came back and said, "Alright, let's go. Everyone take my hand, and we'll be on our way." As everyone took one Cole's hands, they faded out.  
  
***  
  
When they reappeared, Paige asked, "When did you get a teleportation ability?"  
  
"I picked it up around," Cole replied evasively.  
  
"Are you ever going to give a straight answer," Piper said peevishly.  
  
"This way," Cole said, and started trudging off.  
  
"I guess not." Piper muttered. The group walked for about 4 minutes, through a jungle area.  
  
"Why couldn't we just orb straight there?" Paige asked.  
  
"The place has been shielded to prevent such teleportation," Cole replied. "It's right up here." As Cole pulled aside some branches and the sisters stepped out of the forest, they found themselves in a clearing. It was about 100 feet, and nearly circular. In the center was a granite slab about 3 feet high, and standing in front of the slab was a figure. He was about 6 ft tall and had black hair down to his shoulders. As the group entered the clearing, the figure said without turning, "You're late Father. They wouldn't have liked that."  
  
"Sorry, something held me up," Cole replied, and said, "Turn around Gabriel." When Gabriel did, the sisters saw his eyes widen, and he asked, "Illusion, or past selves?"  
  
"Past selves." Cole replied.  
  
"I see.what do you want?"  
  
"You need to send back to their time," Melinda said, "And this time I won't let you abandon us."  
  
Gabriel smiled, and said, "I see time hasn't improved your mood. Maybe later, right now I have something else to do." Gabriel then turned back to the slab.  
  
"Now wait just a minute, you don't really think," Paige began as she walked up to Gabriel. When she was about to turn him around, she saw the slab, and went deathly pale.  
  
"Paige, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, and she and Piper ran forward. When they also saw the slab, they stopped. It was a simple slab, and it had only a few words on it, but the words rocked the sisters to the core.  
  
Here lies the Halliwell sisters, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. May they find Peace.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	3. Part 3

Time Troubles 3  
  
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).  
  
"No." the three sisters said quietly.  
  
"I didn't want you to see this. I didn't want you to know," Cole said gravely. "There just wasn't any choice."  
  
"How.How long?" Piper asked.  
  
"You lost your lives over 20 years ago." Melinda said. "I was very young when it happened, and it still hurts to think about it."  
  
"Why, what happened to us?" Phoebe asked. "Our deaths are tragic, but why is everyone so devastated by it? Were out deaths so bad?"  
  
"It wasn't your deaths," Gabriel interrupted suddenly, "but how it happened that is so devastating. You didn't just die.we killed you."  
  
"What! Why?" Piper demanded. The sisters also noticed that Melinda had a look of shock on her face.  
  
"What, you told me they were great warriors for our side who fell to the ultimate evil!" she shouted.  
  
Gabriel and Cole shared a look, one that seemed to equate volumes of information. Then Gabriel sighed, "Only Cole and I know the true story of what happened." Gabriel turned and walked over to the slab, as if trying to gain strength from it. When he turned back around, his face was sad, but determined.  
  
"About 23 years ago, you three fell to evil. You were seduced by it, turned by it, whatever. You became evil, and servants of the Source."  
  
"What, we would never." Paige began hotly.  
  
"But you do," Cole said, "and you do unspeakable things while evil. You made my century of demonhood look like a saint's work by comparison. Gabriel and I tried everything to bring you back, but.we failed. Finally, we had no choice but to kill you ourselves, and bury you in secret. We told everyone you had been secretly battling for good, and had simply died in the line of duty."  
  
"How could you lie to me?" Melinda said, "I had the right to know my mother was too weak to fight evil!"  
  
"HEY! Watch your mouth young lady!" Piper said.  
  
"It doesn't matter," Gabriel interrupted, "All that matters is it is what we did, and it is in the past. So, what I want to know is what are you three doing here? Who sent you here?"  
  
"Well.you did." Phoebe said quietly. When Gabriel's eyebrows rose, she told him everything, about Temporal Echoes and the portal. ".and so we need you to send us back to our own time, so we can prevent this." Phoebe finished  
  
Gabriel looked at them for a few moments, and then said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."  
  
The sisters stared at him in shock and silence, but Melinda made up for it. "YOU COWARD! You would leave them here for no reason. You are truly evil."  
  
"You have NO comprehension of what is involved here!" Gabriel shouted back. He turned and stormed off. Melinda turned away in disgust, and the sisters looked at each in worry. Would they be trapped here for eternity?  
  
"I'm going to go talk to him." Cole said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, and Melinda said, "Why, it would make no difference."  
  
"Maybe it will." Cole said cryptically, and then he headed off after Gabriel.  
  
"Do you think he can convince Gabriel to help us?" Paige asked.  
  
"I doubt it," Melinda said. "That coward would never help us."  
  
"Well, if he doesn't we'll be trapped here for eternity." Phoebe said gravely.  
  
***  
  
Cole did not bother to hurry, for he knew exactly where his son was going. It was where Gabriel always went to contemplate, where he had been going for years. Cole walked through the forest at a sedate pace, thinking about what he was going to say to his son. For Cole knew exactly what was at stake here, and he still felt Phoebe and the others should be sent back. He just hoped he could convince Gabriel of that.  
  
Cole finally broke out of the forest in front of a small lake. Sitting on the edge with his arms wrapped around his knees was Gabriel, who was staring out into the water. Cole approached and put his hand on his son's shoulder, and said, "Don't listen to her, she doesn't understand."  
  
"Why not? She's right. I am a coward, in the eyes of everyone who cares about me." Gabriel said sadly.  
  
"Not to me," Cole said with finality, "NEVER with me."  
  
"Do you think it was the right decision?" Gabriel asked Cole. He had been asking Cole the same thing every year, for it weighed heavily on him.  
  
"Yes, it was the only decision we could make," Cole said with conviction, "If the other Guardians had stayed in the battle on the side of evil, we would not have won. You would have gotten weaker as they got stronger, and eventually they would have killed us all. They had to be removed from the field, and so we had to make the Pact."  
  
"I still don't know why they made that pact." Gabriel remarked.  
  
"Because of your power back then," Cole said, "You know your power is linked to the amount of life present in the universe. Back then, you were stronger than all of them except Death. They were afraid of what you could do, and so they made the deal. They'd stay off the field as long as you did. And it is the only reason we are slowly winning."  
  
"You do understand what sending the Charmed Ones back to their time will be, don't know?" Gabriel said quietly.  
  
"Yes, I do. It will mean you are a taking a part in this war, and it will be the loophole the Guardians have been seeking to get back involved." Cole said gravely.  
  
"Do you think you could still win if they got back involved, even if I helped?" Gabriel asked.  
  
Cole thought about it for a few moments, and then said quietly, "No, I don't."  
  
"Then you realize if I send the Charmed Ones back to their present, I doom this future." Gabriel said. "What's worse, I open the door to time travel, which they will take advantage of. I could do even more damage than you can even imagine."  
  
"I know," Cole said. He paused for a few moments, and then said, "I still think you should send them back."  
  
Gabriel looked up, and Cole realized he was crying, "Don't you think I want to? Do you think I want to sit back and feel all the deaths in this pointless war? If I get involved, then I doom all those lives to pain and oblivion. What right do I have to do that?"  
  
"Son, listen to me," Cole said, "Even if we beat back evil, I would be very surprised if we could keep it defeated and rebuild. Our world is doomed, it is all a question of years."  
  
"But how can I take those years away from anyone? I am Life, for God's sake. You're asking me to doom a world for no reason."  
  
"Maybe the sisters could fix the past, and prevent out future," Cole replied.  
  
"No, they can't." Gabriel replied, "Piper was never meant to receive the Temporal Echoes. In order to fix it, I have to remove all memories they have of this event. They will go back to before the nightmares happened, and they will never experience them. So, I gain nothing, and lose everything."  
  
Gabriel was quiet for a few minutes, and then he said slowly, "I'll do it."  
  
Cole looked down at him, and Gabriel said, "Whatever the cost, I will send them back." He then got up and walked back towards the clearing.  
  
***  
  
When Gabriel and Cole walked back into the clearing, the sisters felt hope bloom again. Gabriel looked at them, and then said, "I'll do it." The sister's broke out in smiles, and then Piper said, "What do you need to do?"  
  
"I need to touch each of you," Gabriel said. One by one, he reached out and touched the sisters on the forehead. When he got to Phoebe, he lingered on the necklace, and said, "I always loved this necklace. Please, never take it off." When he finished, he turned and gestured, and the sisters could feel a portal open behind them. Within seconds, they were through it.  
  
Melinda, Gabriel, and Cole watched them go through. As soon as they were gone, 8 figures appeared. Gabriel smiled, and said, "What took you so long?"  
  
"You've broken the pact," Mortanos said, "and so have freed us. We can now rejoin our side, and crush you."  
  
"Maybe so, but that has yet to be seen." Gabriel said. Melinda looked up, as she realized why Gabriel had been so distant and non-present. She reached up, touched his arm, and whispered, "I'm sorry. I was wrong."  
  
"It doesn't matter if you get involved," Moebi, Guardian of Time said with a snarl, "I can now go back through time and alter it how we see fit. You have doomed the world."  
  
Gabriel smiled a sad smile, and said, "I don't think so." He then screamed, and exploded. White energy burst forth in every direction, passing over Guardians, who fell back in shock. As Melinda and Cole felt the energy go over them, they heard Gabriel's voice whisper, "I'm sorry, I can't help you now. I have to protect the past. I love you both."  
  
After the wave had passed, the Guardians got up with a sneer. "Well, that was pointless," Mortanos said. "It didn't even faze us. Moebi, go back and alter history." Moebi smiled, and gestured. When nothing happened, his frowned and tried again. After several attempts, he went pale. "I.I can't."  
  
"WHAT!" Mortanos shouted.  
  
"He has sealed it somehow," Moebi said desparately, "I can't travel through time!"  
  
Mortanos looked back at Cole, and said, "He may have protected his past, but he doomed you all." Mortanos gestured, and Cole and Melinda fell to the ground, dead. Mortanos looked at the others and said, "Let the slaughter begin."  
  
***  
  
Piper woke up with a scream, feeling.nothing. No nightmare, no fear. She actually felt happy. Piper wondered what had come over her, as Leo put his arms around her. "Is everything alright honey?"  
  
"Yeah, it's nothing. Just a weird dream or something. I don't know, I can't remember." Piper said, and then they both went back to sleep. Everything was normal in the Halliwell manor, except for one thing. In Phoebe's room, all were sleeping. Cole and Phoebe were asleep in each other's arms, and Gabriel was asleep in the crib. Since they were all sleeping, no one saw Phoebe's necklace flash white once, and then stop.  
  
THE END 


End file.
